A Good Place to Run
Last Saturday I ran my 3rd half of the year at the Bristol Half & Half. This particular race got my attention because it covers two states Bristol, VA and Bristol, TN. I thought that was pretty unique, so when I found it I put this on my 2017 race list. I am glad I did because this was one of the better half marathons that I have ran and I would definitely run in this race again.

Race Background & Packet Pickup
The Bristol Half N Half is a growing race. This is the 5th year that it has ran and there were probably 500-600 runners in attendance for all three race options. The proceeds from the race benefit the American Cancer Society and this year they raised 60,000.00 dollars (which is pretty impressive). Registration was reasonably priced. I registered a couple of months early and it was $49.00. The early packet pickup took place on the Friday night at the Bristol Train Station. At the pickup they treated runners to a free spaghetti and lasagna dinner. We didn't eat, but it looked really good & if I run in this race again I will eat next time. In our packets we had our race shirt, a Chick-fil-A discount card, and plenty of directions (those were helpful).

Course Layout
The race began at 8:00 AM at Virginia High School in Bristol, VA. You literally run all over the town and end up finishing at Stone Castle High School, Bristol, TN. Looking back on the race course there are a few ways that I would describe the layout. First, you can't escape the hills in East, TN, there is just no way around it (brace yourself it's hilly). However, even though there were plenty of hills, it is a fast race. Also, the course layout keeps you on your toes. There were so many turns that there was nothing boring about it. After looking at the course map and seeing all the turns, I was concerned if it would be marked well. Thankfully, there was someone standing at every turn telling you which way to go.

Volunteers
One thing that I was impressed with was the volunteer support from the community in this race. For what you would consider a smaller race compared to some, the volunteers were amazing. I can honestly say I have never felt more appreciated for running a race. Every time I told a volunteer thank you for something during the race their response was, "No, thank you". Additionally, they give a spirit of the course award to the best aid station and some of the stations really got into it. Literally coming up one of the hills a group of volunteers had cow bells and a microphone cheering you on. There were also a few times when traffic had to be stopped on a major highway and some of the side roads of this course. There were an abundance of police officers out stopping traffic and making sure all the participants stayed safe.

Parking & Pacers.
We were able to find parking at Virginia High School, but there was additional parking at a near by church if needed. Prior to the start, the high school was open to runners to stay warm and to use the restrooms. There were pacers available starting at 8:00 minutes on up through 13:00 which was nice to have available. The race began on the track at the high school and we did one loop around the track before heading out to the road.

Aid Stations & Post Race
Throughout the course there were aid stations available at every mile with water and Gatorade on the even miles starting at mile four. I stopped twice for Gatorade through the course. The race ended up the football field at Stone Castle. After the race, they had plenty of drinks, fruit, cookies, granola, etc set up for the racers. The finisher's medal was one of the nicest that I have ever received and is made locally by a race sponsor. In order to get back to our vehicle at the other school there were shuttle vans available to racers. Once we got in line I think it took us about ten minutes to get a seat in a van and about ten more minutes to get back to the car. I was actually really surprised by how quickly their shuttles were.

Overall Impression
There are some races that you walk away from and know that you probably won't register for again. My mom and I both agreed that this would be a race that we would love to run again. I would recommend it to anyone that doesn't mind to run a hilly course. Even with the hills though I felt like it was a fast race, and I was able to set a new personal record of 1:51:40 for my half marathon time. Downtown Bristol is beautiful and my only regret is that we didn't get there sooner on Friday night to spend more time exploring the city.